Re: Deal With the Devil

[richard l. kandell]

I'm not so sure this is completely true, at least I wasn't until the Whaley
recruitment.  One sort of got the impression that over the last several
years Huggins was trying to work with Goin to perhaps recruit kids without
the baggage car full of problems.  Recently we have been quick (perhaps too
quick) to disassociate ourselves from several high profile recruits who got
into some sort of trouble, certainly no where near as serious as Whaley's
historic difficulties, albeit AFTER committing, but before showing up on
campus.  I don't suggest that I would want to change this type of approach,
just that Whaley represents a significant opportunity for the university to
take it on the chin in the press, and other places, for any reason (whether
they are too lazy to get it right or whatever).

Richard K.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Ray" <address@hidden>
To: <address@hidden>; <address@hidden>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 9:08 AM
Subject: RE: [UC Basketball] Deal With the Devil


> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Darryl Gilliam [mailto:address@hidden
> > Subject: Re: [UC Basketball] Deal With the Devil
> >
> > We cant continue to take risks on kids with spotty backgrounds and then
> expect the rest of
> > the world to turn their heads when they give opinions about the
character
> of our players.
>
> You have to remember, Bob Huggins doesn't care what other people think
about
> his program.  He recruits/coaches with his own conscience, and the only
> thing that concerns him is that he does right by the school and his
players.
> Playing PR director for the program is not in his job description.  UC
will
> always have the 'thug' image no matter who Huggins recruits, because the
> press is to lazy to report otherwise and the general public doesn't want
to
> hear it.
>
> Huggins has always recruited troubled kids and he always will.  While most
> of them will turn their lives around and keep their noses clean, a few
> won't.  If that bothers you, I suggest you follow another program, because
> Bob Huggins isn't going to change one iota in order to satisfy the media
or
> public opinion.